Apparatus for use in the hardening of steel.



2%. 374%41. PATENTE DEEL 24, 1907. W. TAYLOR.

APPARATUS P03 USE IN THE HARDBNING OF STEEL.

APRLIGATION FILED MAR. 11, 1907.

UNITED sTAT-Es g} WILLIAM TAYLOR, or riE oEs rER, Emma. L

, 'nrrnna'rus non usn -mnniwma or Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 11.1901. samlra selnsi.

T all whom it may concerng Be it known that 1, WILLIA TAYLQR, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Stoughton, Street Works, Leicester,

in the county of Leicester, England, engii neer, have invented certain new and use Improvements in Apparatus for Use in the Hardening of Steel, of which the following is t is kno'wn thatin hardening, tempering, or annealing steel, the' proper quenching temperature. for many purposes 18 one at a or steel falls more or less suddenly to 'unit' which recalescence occurs, and it is important that this temperature, which varies between fairly wide limits with different samples of steel, should not be seriously exceeded. It is also known that at the recalescence' temperature the permeability of iron value, the material becoming non-magnetic, and this is true more particularly when 'the magnetic induction -or fluu density in the material is small. l

" that it drops automatically into the quenching bath when this temperature is reached. The apparatus hereinafter described is more particularly applicable to the hardening of small masses of steel in the form of bars or rods, such as for example small drills or taps, for which purpose the mass of steel to be treated is held suspended by magnetic attraction'across or between soft'iron polar extensions of a magnet, and is heated by a flame or other suitable source of heat. When the mass reaches the proper temperature for quenching it is automatically dropped from both poles into the quenching bath, or if it be desired to heat and harden one end orfly' 0 ar extension; which is nearer to the heats endand hang suspended from the. other'jpolan extension, thereby indicating that-lfthe of -the rod ,it will be released from the quenching temperaturehas been reached,

' ,In order to prevent the piece of steel when released from one polar extension, hereinafter called thereleasing ole, being jerked off the other extension, t e surface of the latter, hereinafter source; q.

If it is desired to harden onl one end'of.

is curved.

The polar extensions consist of rods of soft iron or mild steel preferably of-circul'ar stared Dec.

called the r tainin ea;

section and comparatively. small diameter so that the surface of contactbetween the mass of steel and the ole pieces is small in order to avoid the liability to local chillin and for this purposewhen slender pieces 9 steel have to be treated one or both of the polar extensions may be still further reduced towards the point of contact with thestel, as by tapering it towards its free end.

Inithe accompanying drawings Figure 1 isan elevation partly in'section o the most convenient form of apparatus adapted for heating the w'orkin an open flame, and; Fig.

2 illustrates a modified arran ement adapted for'heating the steel in a lea or otherbath. a In these drawings a is a permanent magnet, havingv soft iron polar extensions 6' b one or both of which may be cranked or bent and rotatably secured at .one end in the a a, respectively of the ma I this purposemay be provi' ed with clamp oles ct, whic for screws as shown in the drawing or with other equivalent device.

magnet may be either anelectromagnet or a permanent magnet as shown.

With the apparatus shown in llig,1 the mass of steel 0 to be hardened is supported magnetically across the soft iron extensions This construction en ables the distance between the outer ends (if the polar'extensions tobe adjusted'to take masses of steel of. different lengths. The" b b in contact with their lower sides as shown in the drawing, .and is heated bythe 1 application of a flame-or other su table the mass of steel, that end is p aced in, conpurpose is of varying sectionand choosing a point of contact 'whichisj'on-the .tact witli the releasing-poleI) which forthis. I

p rmits of its one handsufiiciently large to en portthe mass, but which on the other hen 1s not so large as to be liable tochill the mass locally,

t e mass will hang suspended-in an This end of the masshaving reached thecnt- -l -ical'tempkerature, will be released by the pole b and approximately vertical position from the retaining' pole b the surface of which is curved so that'the mass of-steel-shall not be jerked l therefrom by encountering any suddenirreg- 'ularity of its surface.

-When themass of steel is heated out of contact with the air as shown in Fig. 2, in a bath (Z of molten lead or other fluid of greater density than the steel, it will rise to the sur face of the bath automatically, with or without the assistance of asprin'g e or equivalent counterweight, when. it becomes non-magnetie, and it is to be understood that the term magnetic support hereinafter used in the claimsis to be construed as applying to such an arrangement as well as to the case in which the mass of steel falls down by gravity when released by its magnetic support.

Having" thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of for varying the distance between said polar extensions.

2. An apparatus applicable to the hardening, tempering or annealing of steel, comprising a magnet having polar extensions of soft 'iron adapted to be rotated so as to vary the distance between said polar extensions and to be rigidly fixed in the poles of said magnet,

saidextenswns being adapted to support magnetically themass of steel under treat 3 In hardening, tempering orannealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet having soft iron pole" pieces extending normally parallel with each other, clamping screws in the poles of said magnet adaptedtosecure said pole pieces against rotation and said pole pieces adapted by rotation in the poles of said magnet to vary the distance between mally in line with the clampingscrews in the poles of said magnet the said pole pieces.

4. In hardening, tempering, or annealing steel, an apparatus comprlsmg a horse-shoe magnetfsoft n'on pole pieces extending nornnbs of said magnet adapted to secure said pole pieces against 1-0- tation and said pole pieces adapted by rotation in said limbs to vary the distance between the said pole piece 5. In hardening, tempering or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet having soft iron polar extensions, one of which is cranked and rotatably connected with the magnet.

6. In hardening, tempering, or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet having soft iron polar extensions, said polar extensions being cranked and rotatably connected with the magnet.

7. In hardening, tempering; or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet having polar extensions, one of which has its surface curved to form a retaining pole.

8. In hardening, tempering or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet having soft iron polar extensions, one of which has its cross section gradually reduced toward its outer end to form a releasing pole.

9. In hardening, tempering or annealing steel, an. apparatus comprising amagnet having soft iron polar extensions of circular section, one of which is of reduced diameter toward its outer end.

10. In hardening, tempering, or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a magnet hav ing a releasing pole of varying cross section, and a retaining pole of curved cross section, and means for varying the separation of the poles. i

11. In hardening, tempering or annealing steel, an apparatus comprising a bath for lluid, and a magnet adapted to hold therein magnetically the mass of steel under treatment.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM TAYLOR.

Vi tnesses A. PIERCE, H. P. HAeoN. 

